The R&B superstar was chosen as the recipient of this year’s (16) Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, and her frequent collaborator and rumoured beau Drake was on hand to present her with the prestigious golden Moonman trophy.
Advertisement
Her entire performance had political themes woven throughout, with the opener “Pray you Catch Me” seeing the singer being embraced by a Black man in a hoodie, in a tribute to teen-ager Trayvon Martin. Drake posted a snuggly Instagram (with what appears to be a wine glass) after the awards show with the caption, “This is a night for us all to be thankful for what you have done for us!”
Her final performance was an intimate performance of her hits “Stay”, “Diamonds” and her newest single “Love On The Brain” featuring a white backdrop and a stunning sounding orchestra which complimented her emotional and raw singing chops.
Of course we all thought that was adorbs but then he went on to say: “She’s someone I’ve been in love with since I was 22 years old”. “But 11 years later, we still all know Rihanna as the one and only Rihanna”. Britney emerged looking, dancing and lip-syncing as good as the days she donned bikini tops and Burmese pythons. All his adult life he’s looked up to her, even though she’s younger than him.
In true Kanye fashion, the rapper ranted onstage, touching on subjects from music to his beef with Taylor Swift to violence in his hometown Chicago before he debuted his music video for “Fade”, which starred Teyana Taylor. He even pointed to former girlfriend Amber Rose, who was in the audience and is also in the video. David Bowie – who died from cancer earlier this year – received four nominations for “Lazarus” and won best art direction.
It seems every MTV VMAs comes with a few staples: collaborations, cringeworthy moments and speeches from Kanye West.
Advertisement
The honorable maternal mentions started with Alicia Keys. The Queen took home eight moonmen, including top prize for video of the year.
